<p>AncientTiger, what a lovely and informative post! Thank you very much. I would ask, but if I read between the lines of your post, it sounds as though you were very happy with your time at Princeton. (Would that be a good assumption?)</p>
<p>hsmom: I think itâs safe to say anyone taking time to read and post on CCâs Princeton forum wants to contribute to othersâ knowledge about Pton. Unless they have a real axe to grind (and thatâd be weird), you can pretty much assume that any alum contributor here had a good enuff experience to share with others who are exploring Pton themselves. The unhappy ones arenât on this forum.</p>
<p>Itâd be like hiring a disgruntled student to be the tour guide â wouldnât happen.</p>
<p>OP, you were posting for recommendations from CCâers for college admission counselors earlier this month. Did you hire one yet? I would think that sort of expensive advisor would be well qualified to help you figure out whether or not your child would be happy at Princeton.</p>
<p>Letâs flip this question and Iâll give you another perspective.</p>
<p>Who WOULDNâT be happy at Princeton? And my answer is from anecdotal but observed information.</p>
<ol>
<li>Kids who were pressured all their lives into high performance that they didnât desire in their hearts and become depressed when on their own and outside the former set up of clear expectations and predictable validating outcomes.</li>
<li>Kids who really, really want to be in a city.</li>
<li>Every kid in the world, now and again. </li>
<li>The kids who would be unhappy everywhere because mental or physical illness raises its head.</li>
</ol>
<p>For everyone else, preppy, non-preppy, competitive, less-competitive, gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, Californian, Texan, New Yorker, Ethiopian, Korean, scientist, philosopher, poet, engineer, happiness is possible.</p>